A decision by judges at the International Criminal Court to initiate a process to prosecute Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army rebels and his three other cronies has drawn mixed reactions from people who were directly affected by the war.
The judges - Mauro Politi, Fatuomata Dembele Diarra and Ekaterina Trendafilowa - initiated proceedings to determine whether or not the special division of the High Court in Uganda can prosecute the LRA rebels. A statement from the International Criminal Court says initiation of the proceedings resulted on a submission by Ugandan government on an accountability and reconciliation agreement signed with the LRA.
The issue of where, how and whether the LRA rebels should be tried is a sticking point in deliberations aimed at achieving a final peace settlement in Northern Uganda.
William Odong, a Gulu district councilor for people with disability, says he is not confident of the capacity of domestic courts to try the LRA. He wants the prosecution of the war crimes to be handed to the International Criminal Court.
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However Geoffrey Nyeko, a resident of Ongako sub-county in Gulu, argues that the International Criminal Court has been a stumbling block to peace talks for a long time. He says The Hague-based court should back off from the case in the interest of peace.
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Nyeko adds that for people to be confident in the courts, government should accord them full independence and facilitation to allow them to freely conduct their duty.
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Joseph Kony, his deputy, Vincent Otti, Okot Odhiambo and Dominic Ongwen are wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes they allegedly committed during the conflict in northern Uganda.
Kony faces 33 charges of murders, sexual enslavement, rape, attack against the civilian population, enlisting of children, enslavement, cruel treatment and pillaging.
